#IncU

Idea > Team > Customer Research > Prototype in just 3 DAYS

Have you ever been struck by an idea that you know will change the world?

Have you ever wondered what to do with that idea?

In 3 days, go from that idea on a napkin...

to a formed team,

some initial customer research,

and a rough prototype.

All in one awesome weekend.

#IncU is a 3-day incubator hosted by Big Blue Starters in cooperation with several other organizations across UK and the Lexington startup community to help undergraduate and graduate students learn how to start a new venture by actually doing it. It is designed to find the best and most tallented students at UK and bring them all together for the purpose of starting awesome companies and organizations - whether that is a for-profit or non-profit venture.

Here's the Deal...

We're looking for the top 40-50 undergrad and grad students at UK based solely on their skills and abilities, not GPA, not the brilliance of their idea, and not based on popularity. #IncU is about creating teams and startups that have the highest chance to succeed - and that takes tallented people.

You DO NOT have to have an idea to apply. Acceptance is based on skill and interest rather than the feasibility of your idea. If you do have an idea, let us hear about it!

If you're not sure if you're who we're looking for, STILL APPLY! There's no way to know until you try!

Only 40-50 of the most tallented and hard-working students from across the University of Kentucky will make it into #IncU - so apply now, and tell us why you think you should be a part of #IncU! The weekend will be a LOT of hard work, but it will be absolutely worth it, and you'll get tons of free food and get to hang out with great people like yourself. We're giving you everything you need to learn how to go from idea to actionable steps and help you take the next steps with this weekend incubator, so take advantage of it while you still can! Apply now!

#IncU will be held March 2-4, 2012 at Awesome Inc. You will be informed whether you were accepted or not at the latest by midnight Feb 26th. You will need to be at Awesome Inc for the majority of the event.

This competition has 1 round

Round 1

Type:
Judges

Start date:
Thursday, March 01, 2012 12:33 PM PST

End date:
Monday, March 05, 2012 11:59 PM PST

Enrollment is open until Sunday, March 04, 2012 11:00 PM PST

Judging criteria

Business Model

How does the business model look? Did they adjust the business model to customer feedback? Have they taken the steps they need to in order to understand at least a general hypothesis about the business model?

Customer Development

How many customers did they talk to over the course of the weekend? How much did they learn from customers? Did they evaluate what they learned and adapted the business model to fit what the customers said? If not, did they make the right decision not to listen to the data?

Prototype Development

Could the prototype have been created over the course of the weekend? If so, did customers use the prototype and what did they think? If not, how did they test the concept of their prototype? Did they generate interest among potential customers about the prototype/idea?

General Viability/Potential

General chance for judges to provide feedback and their thoughts on your company and its viability and potential to succeed.

Requirements:

#IncU is all about 3 things - Business Models, Customer Development, and Prototyping. At the end of #IncU, you will present a 5 minute or less pitch to a panel of judges to talk about what you learned and accomplished this weekend regarding these areas of your startup. Pitches will begin at 3PM on March 4th, and judging will take place live, via this platform.

Rules:

Teams will be judged based on their progress in 3 areas, which are the goals of #IncU.

1) Business Model Generation - How does the business model look? Did you adjust the business model to customer feedback? Have you taken steps to make a general hypothesis about the business model?

2) Customer Development - How many customers did you talk to over the course of the weekend? How much did you learn from customers? Did you evaluate what you learned and use that knowledge to adapt the business model to fit what the customers said? If not, why didn't you listen to the customers?

3) Prototype Development - If your idea could be prototyped over the weekend, did customers use your prototype? What did they think? If your idea could NOT be prototyped over the weekend, how did you test the concept of your prototype? Did you generate interest among potential customers about the prototype/idea?